In partnership with Diageo, CARE Nigeria is implementing a Small Holder Farmers Community Engagement Pilot Project in Oyo state. This project builds on an existing sorghum value chain strengthening project funded by Diageo through Zowasel – A private corporation which leverages technology and data science to improve productivity, sustainability and profitability across agricultural value chains. In this partnership, CARE’s mandate focuses on empowering women farmers in southwest Nigeria with leadership skills while working to even the playing field to allow women participate more in sorghum production, increasing the overall productivity and addressing gender inequality and violence.

To achieve this goal, CARE carried out a gender and power analysis (GAP) in AFIJIO and IREPO Local Government Areas in Oyo state. This analysis aimed to inform CARE on women participation in farming (specifically the sorghum value chain) and the gendered barriers faced by female farmers in the sorghum value chain. With this information, CARE will tailor transformative actions that will seek to address such barriers by challenging them at their roots.

Findings from the GAP analysis indicates that most agricultural lands are owned by men. From women’s perspective, lack of education and skills are the main reasons why they are unable to participate in farming as much as men do, but men thought this happens solely for lack of capital.
Generally, men showed to have higher gender biases than women. In decision making regarding farming, compared to women, men are 3 times more likely to enforce gender biases against women. People with low education (primary school certificate or no formal education) are 2 times more likely to enforce gender biases compared to their educated counterparts and more women than men have no formal education.
Both men and women, educated and uneducated counterparts unanimously upheld gender biases that confined women and girls to the burden on unpaid care work in households while accepting men and boys as entrepreneurs and providers. Gender biases in decision making as well as in household responsibilities, transcend age, religion and social status.
Men and persons older than 36 years are more likely to learn about agriculture support programs.
Landowners are 3 times more likely to learn about agriculture support programs and only 10% of women in Nigeria own lands against 50% of their male counterparts.